The January transfer window is fast approaching and it appears Unai Emery is looking to do some business at Aston Villa.
It was a summer of transformation at Aston Villa, who used the money from the sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby to fund their transfer window.
Unai Emery made multiple top-quality signings – including midfielder Amadou Onana from Everton – but he is still looking to bolster his squad in January.
Emery was left short in defence after failing to sign a new right-back or centre-back while recent reports have linked Villa to Lille midfielder Angel Gomes.
Roy Keane on ‘pure quality’ Angel Gomes
The Villans are joined by his former club Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle United in showing an interest in the 24-year-old.
Gomes starred in England’s Nations League win over Finland on Sunday, with Jack Grealish lauding the midfield metronome as a ‘top player’.
That is a sentiment echoed by former Man United star Roy Keane, who described Gomes as ‘pure quality’ for his pass to set up Grealish.
“Yeah, real bit of quality. A brilliant goal. If we saw France or Spain’s scoring a goal like this, we’d be praising him. But, yeah, nice and patient,” Keane said as per Mail Sport.
“Here England, Gomes obviously just do what you do, pass it forward, and he just seems to wander in there. Jack draws a few players over, which obviously helps him eventually, when he gets in there.
“But this pass again, Trent, nice and simple. Sharp these couple of touch on Gomes and this last piece, honestly, I think pure quality, lovely and obviously Jack then finishes it off. But really lovely bit of quality.”
Currently at Lille, where his contract expires in 2025, Gomes can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in January and Villa should move to the front of the queue.
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Why Aston Villa should sign Gomes
Gomes was impressive for England in their most recent win, operating as a deep-lying playmaker and he can bring a skillset to Villa Park that Emery would crave.
The Man United academy graduate is great at manipulating the ball in tight spaces and his ability to unlock defences with his passing is incredible.
According to FBref, Gomes is similar to Arsenal’s midfield maestro Martin Odegaard in profile, and his creative metrics speak volumes about that comparison.
When compared against midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues across the past year, the England star ranks in the top 5% for assists per 90, the top 6% for shot-creating actions and the top 14% for progressive passes.
Gomes always looks to play forward each time he receives the ball and he could bring a unique skillset to Villa that can see him share minutes with Youri Tielemans.
He could bring the best out of Emery’s current midfield orchestrator while providing an extra source of creativity between the lines, which is why Aston Villa should go all out to sign him in January.
